


jam #05: Bondage Ninjas

by PokeNirvash



Series: Kinky Kunoichi [5]
Category: Jam-Orbital, Original Work
Genre: Bondage, Femdom, Gen, Jam-Gagging, Kabukicho, Kidnapping, Lawlharem, Over-the-Nose (OTN) Masks, Police, Shinjuku, Smoking, Tokyo (City), Yakuza, ballbusting, kunoichi - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-09 10:14:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19885942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PokeNirvash/pseuds/PokeNirvash
Summary: Naokuu and Shin are closer than ever to finding Muchise, but at the same time reluctantly face a troublesome obstacle: a Saturday night outing with Shin's admirers, a prelude to verifying whether or not they actually have her. Things only get hairier when a nighttime yakuza battle leaves Shin separated from the others, and even moreso when his escape from the heat of battle leads him to a group of kidnap-happy kunoichi...





	1. Prologue

It was Saturday in Tokyo, the bright blue sky having returned after the previous day’s encompassing gray overcast. Cumulus clouds still populated the sky, but they were small and scattered enough to avoid playing the harbinger of more disappointing weather. The day had entered the beginning stages of the early afternoon, and the clock on the front tower of Sadameicho High School, one of several places across the metropolis to avoid being too deep in the shade from above, read 12:03 to reflect that fact. As was the norm for Saturdays like this, several students at the school were outside and in the halls. Part of that was due to the usual lunch period, but this being a half-day, many of those out-of-classroom students had a return trip home on the mind instead, if not the typical loitering around to either pick fights or watch them play out.

“Thank you for the food.”

Of those who bothered to stay a while longer in the classrooms, Shin was one of them. Seated in his usual spot in 3-A’s classroom, he quietly announced those pre-meal words of thanks in a routine fashion and started eating his lunch. He grabbed one of several rolled omelets from his rectangular black bento with his chopsticks and brought it into his open mouth. With an equally quiet “ahh” as he brought the omelet in, he closed his mouth and started chewing it, quietly as if he were trying to enjoy this ordinary lunch in the utmost peace.

“You know, I never really pegged you for a lingerer, Kizuka.”

Of course, that peace was soon broken, much to Shin’s utter lack of surprise, by the sound of that familiar voice. Slowing down his chewing to a crawl, Shin opened his eyes half-lidded and looked at Sento, who leaned against the wall and its window above with arms crossed and sleeves rolled up.

“Seriously, for a dedicated member of the going-home club to stay after final bell three days in a row, it’s kinda scary.” He turned his head and looked at Shin with a barely curious face.

“To be fair, Mochino, it _is_ lunch period,” Ugo remarked, looking at Sento as he stood close to Shin’s desk also. “Better for Kizuka to eat what he packed _now_ instead of letting it go to waste.”

Shin kept chewing as he listened to the two, swallowing as Ugo finished. He closed his eyes and set down his chopsticks, his indifferent frown slowly widening into one showcasing the first signs of frustration. “Just tell me what you want, guys.”

“Oh, nothing much,” Sento said. “Just thought I’d share another rumor with ya.” He stepped forward slightly, putting his hands in his pockets as he lowered his head. “Apparently, some shady-looking detective guy wandered into the building yesterday and met with those five girls who’ve got the hots for you. Claimed that _they_ were the ones who kidnapped your girlfriend a few days back.”

Shin perked up at the mention of Muchise, blushing in embarrassment as he angrily turned to Sento. “Muchise is _not_ my girlfriend!”

“Yeah, but she _would’ve_ been, had it not been too late.” Sento turned around as he put his hands behind his head, his back facing Shin.

Shin silently calmed down at Sento’s comment, no longer angry but somewhat sad.

“Not only that, but _you_ barged in while he was in the middle of questioning them,” Ugo said.

“Yeah! And you were yelling “Where’s Muchise!?” at the top of your lungs!” Sento’s eyes shot open as he pseudo-quoted Shin, emulating his anger the best he could through his facial expressions.

“By the way, great job with that. I’m sure every girl in school hates your guts now.”

“Hm. Like I care what _they_ think at this point.” Shin picked up his chopsticks and ate another rolled omelet from his bento.

“But that makes what comes next even _more_ amazing!”

“How so?” Shin swallowed after asking, jumping a bit as Sento’s hands suddenly came down onto his desk.

“Even though you shouted your lungs out at them, you _still_ managed to score a date with all _five_ of them! At _once_!”

“For the record, that doesn’t make you any less sexist.”

“I’m _not_ a sexist!” Shin shouted at Ugo, then turning to Sento. “And it’s _not_ a date! It’s just an outing. And I only agreed to it because it’s the only way to know if they have Muchise.” He closed his eyes again and gripped his chopsticks in his right hand, both trembling with anger. “I swear, I _will_ get her back, no question!”

“Whatever, dude.” Sento turned and started walking away, his hands in his pockets again as he looked at the ceiling. “I just wish _I_ could get lucky by being a dick to women…”

“You’re hopeless, you know that, Mochino?” Ugo bemoaned as he followed behind him.

“I told you, it’s not _like_ that!” Shin shouted at the both of them before turning back, sighing in frustration as his chopsticks returned to their previous position in his hand. “Idiots…”

He brought his utensils down, preparing to grab another piece of his bento to eat. Maybe the last rolled omelet, some of the vegetables packed in with it, or perhaps some of the white rice with dried plum in the middle on the left side. But before he could pinpoint what he could grab, his phone started buzzing in his pocket. With that, he groaned in frustration, stabbing his chopsticks into the rice and leaving them there, standing upright.

“Dammit…” After finding his phone in his pants pocket, Shin took it out and switched it on.

The screen he was met with was backgrounded in blue, with the image of an envelope outlined in white and two strings of text below that icon. The first line read “新しいメッセージ”, or “New Message”. The second, “月出行沙”, or “Yukisa Tsukide”. Without a word, Shin clicked the message icon, bringing the screen back to its normal state, displaying the message in question, inside a blue speech bubble.

私たちは今夜は歌舞伎町のレストラン「NO BEEF NO LIFE 2nd」で午後8時に会います。そこにいて、バカ！

We’ll be meeting at the restaurant “NO BEEF NO LIFE 2nd” in Kabukicho at 8PM tonight. Be there, you idiot!

Shin stared at the message for a minute, mentally absorbing the information relayed to him. He didn’t do much beyond that, though, his brow furrowed in the slightest displeasure. Once it was read, he closed his eyes and sighed again.

“Why me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Japan, at least in the past, had six-day school weeks for students, with Saturday serving as a half-day. This practice was mostly abolished in 2002, though some schools are presently considering returning to that practice. Considering this story takes place in 2084, it’s safe to say that at least in this future, they went through with bringing it back.  
> 2\. NO BEEF NO LIFE 2nd is a reference to the real-life yakiniku restaurant NO MEAT NO LIFE 2nd, which is also located in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho district.


	2. Act 1

この直近の事件で観察された変化の可能性にもかかわらず、持続的なパターンは前記変化の即時性をほとんど示さない。

Despite the potential for change observed in this most recent incident, the persisting pattern indicates little immediacy for said change.

That sentence was the last line of text transcribed onto the paper contents of the open manila folder, as the hand that wrote it signed off in the rectangular box two lines below.

署名 頼柴直空

After finishing off his signature, Naokuu closed the folder. “There,” he said quietly as he raised his right arm, the corresponding hand still grasping his ballpoint clicker pen, and his left hand holding onto his upper arm, as he stretched his limb. “That takes care of _that_ stack.”

The early afternoon had just gotten underway, and as he had been all morning, Naokuu was sitting at his desk in the open workspace. The natural light shining in through the transparent windows of the conference room across the way lit up the space more than the overhead fluorescent lights, as dim as they always were. Today, he was dressed in a black button-up shirt with a red tie, and khaki dress pants, his jacket hanging over the back of his chair as he always had it. The physical inbox on his desk had two stacks of folders around it: one actually in the wire-frame basket that eclipsed it in height by a good 30 centimeters, and another to the right that was just as tall. There was a space to the left of the basket, the closest to Naokuu, for another stack, though it was barren. On the other side, a stack not unlike the two in the inbox sat in the wire outbox. All completed files, the one Naokuu finished being the only one missing.

“Lookit _you_ , Tanoshiba,” Azaguro said as he sat in the empty chair at the desk to Naokuu’s left. Dressed in a white dress shirt with rolled-up sleeves and black casual dress pants, his arms were crossed as he eyed Naokuu from the short distance between them. “I gotta say, this has to be the most productive I’ve seen you in a _long_ time!” He laughed a little to himself.

Letting out one last grunt from his post-work stretches, Naokuu set down his pen and picked up his finished folder as he replied to Azaguro. “‘Long time’ my ass, I’m putting in the same amount of effort I _always_ have.” He reached up and set the folder on the top of the outgoing stack.

“You _say_ that, yes,” Natsutaka remarked, standing across from Naokuu’s desk in his navy blue suit as he pushed up his glasses. “But it _can’t_ be coincidence we see you slacking off more often than not.” He lowered his hand and raised his head, the ceiling lights flashing across his lenses as his gaze settled on Naokuu. “In fact, your rebellious nature seems to have _increased_ ever since your surprise meeting with Chief Gojiki this week.”

“Yeah, I mean, skipping out on work without notice? What right-minded policeman even _does_ that?”

“I skipped out for just _one_ day. That’s _hardly_ being a rebel.” Naokuu turned around in his chair to face Azaguro, resting his right arm on his desk. “Besides, even if that _was_ out of rebellion, I still came in to work overtime, didn’t I?”

“That you did, Tanoshiba,” Natsutaka nodded, stepping forward.

“Which reminds me… Why’re _you_ two hangin’ around here on a Saturday anyways?” He squinted in suspicion. “Hm. I bet you came in just to mock me.”

“Hey now, Tanoshiba, don’t be like that!” Azaguro casually said as he closed his eyes and held up his hands in friendly innocence. “We’d _never_ come in on a weekend to do something so petty!”

“And if we _did_ , we wouldn’t be acting so nice, now would we?”

Azaguro grinned wide. “Not a chance!”

Naokuu scoffed as he turned back to his previous position. “Whatever. You guys are still dicks either way…” he muttered to himself as he reached back into his jacket pocket and took out his phone. It had started vibrating at Azaguro’s last comment, and went on for some time before he tapped the screen. The buzzing stopped, and the display switched on.

Displayed over his homepage screen was a white pop-up box bearing an envelope symbol and two lines of text below it.

1新しいメッセージ

月出行沙から

1 New Message

from Yukisa Tsukide

After eyeing the window for a few seconds, Naokuu looked up from his phone and stood up in turn, his gaze focused away from Azaguro and Natsutaka, but his words headed right for them.

“I gotta take this. If one of Gojiki’s lackeys comes around asking where I ran off to, tell ‘em I’m on my lunch break.”

As he gave them those words of undoubting confidence, he walked off, headed for the hallway to his right, leading away from the main workspace. Azaguro and Natsutaka watched him as he walked off, leaving them as the only people left in the corridor of desks and chairs. Now standing by the desk Azaguro sat at, Natsutaka broke the silence between them as they saw Naokuu temporarily depart.

“No, that man is _definitely_ a rebel.”

Azaguro grinned again. “You said it.”

********

Though not to the degree as it was on your average weekday, the streets outside the Shibuya Police Building bustled with noon-time traffic. The cars and trucks speeding along the elevated expressway No. 3 did so with notable distance between them; neither large enough to be considered a slow traffic day, nor small enough to be considered slow traffic in general. While slower, the vehicles on Route 246 below moved with as much efficiency – at least, those that weren’t stopped at the adjacent intersection. Many pedestrians out stuck to the elevated bridges as opposed to the ground-level sidewalks, a number of them occasionally stopping to eye the police adverts on their building’s big-screen.

All of this happening outside the windows lining the hallway Naokuu retreated to, well within his view, and yet his focus instead laid on his phone, and the text Yukisa sent him.

私たちは今夜は歌舞伎町のレストラン「NO BEEF NO LIFE 2nd」で午後8時に会います。そこにいて、バカ！

We’ll be meeting at the restaurant “NO BEEF NO LIFE 2nd” in Kabukicho at 8PM tonight. Be there, you idiot!

“Geez, how _polite_ of you.” he sarcastically remarked at the last words of the text. “Seriously, would it _kill_ you to show your elders the _least_ bit of respect?”

As he posed that question to no one who would immediately respond, he turned his phone lengthwise and started tapping the bottom half of the readjusted screen with his thumbs, typing up a response for Yukisa.

ほっぽかそうないね

Like hell I’m skipping out.

“Ah, _there_ you are.”

Just as he hit the send button, Naokuu turned to the right, looking in the direction of where the familiar voice came from. “Good afternoon, sir.”

Yokoshima walked up to Naokuu in the otherwise empty hallway, dressed in his usual brown suit with a smile on his face. “I take it your talk with those girls yesterday went well.”

“It’s debatable, really. From what they told me, I’m more convinced than ever that they’re the ones that have Muchise, but they were pretty adamant in claiming that they had _nothing_ to do with her disappearance.” He scoffed softly. “That Kizuka kid coming in and aggressively accusing them to their faces didn’t help matters at all.”

“I see,” Yokoshima nodded, having walked up to Naokuu and joining him in looking out the windows. “So you met Shin, did you.”

Naokuu grunted in confirmation. “Long story short, the two of us wound up getting roped into sitting in on a girls’ night out with ‘em tonight.”

“That’s kind of an odd turn of events, don’t you think?”

“Believe me, it’s _ridiculous_. But it _has_ to be done. A single night, spent with five overbearing high school girls and the boy they all love for one reason or another. That’s all it’ll take, and then I’ll get my answer. Do they have Muchise, or _don’t_ they?” He shuddered softly, his back hunching just a tad. “Even the _thought_ of having to wait for that answer is _unbearable_.”

“Yeah, I can relate.” Yokoshima lowered his head some, somberly smiling. “Call me a grouchy old man, but I’m hoping they _do_ have her. The sooner Muchise’s returned to us, the better.” He closed his eyes. “And I’d _hate_ for all the hard work you’ve done to go to waste.”

“Agreed. Having to start over from square one is the _last_ thing I want right now.” He raised his head, looking up at the sky through the glass pane before him. “Then again, neither of us know if _that’s_ what’s really gonna happen. There’s no use worrying about starting over now. Once things play out, _then_ I’ll start worrying,” he said as he narrowed his gaze.

Yokoshima looked at Naokuu for a few seconds, eyeing the resolve plastered across his face. After giving it a good look-over, he closed his eyes again and chuckled softly. “Still full of determination as always, eh, Naokuu?”

“You better believe it, sir,” Naokuu said with a grin. “Whatever answer I get, tonight will be the game-changer in this case. I’m sure of it.”

********

The remainder of the afternoon passed by quickly, and soon nightfall came upon Tokyo. Much like the previous night, the night sky took on a purplish hue, the color strongest as it served as the backdrop for the city skyline. Unlike the usual faint green glow put off by the majority of the city lights on an evening like this, the buildings in Shinjuku put off a mix of blue and red glows from their windows and spotlights. From the houses in front to the skyscrapers in back, the lights evoked an aesthetic feel, a different atmosphere from the average early evening. From that mere choice of color, it was clear that this weekend, this night was going to be different; at least for the Shinjuku ward, and at least at the onset.

On the streets of Kabukicho, both the sky above and the asphalt walkway below were brightened by the lights down at ground level, from the streetlamps and their bright white buzz and the signs jutting from the buildings lining the street, glowing in warm colors that were mostly red and pink. People either stood in place or walked around, by themselves or chatting with friends, not headed anywhere in particular or with a destination in mind. Many of them were young couples, ranging from their early 20s to early 30s, with the occasional middle-aged man strolling by in a brown longcoat with a bottle in his hand.

One of the people out on the town tonight was Shin, as he begrudgingly agreed to be the previous night. His dress was simple: a black long-sleeved shirt with the English text “LO-FI KINGS” spread across the chest in light pink letters, olive green cargo jeans, and a pair of black skate shoes with white laces and side-stripe. His destination for the evening, the main highlight of the narrow Kabukicho side-street as far as he was concerned, was a restaurant built into a three-story building . Bordered on the left by an izakaya bar with a narrow entrance built into the same building, and on the right by a generic slate blue building which appeared to be for lease, the restaurant’s first-floor façade had wood panels, the thickest and longest on the sign above the establishment. Brightened by four spotlights, one in each corner, and accentuated by a pair of bull horns fastened to the bottom-most plank, was a white metal cutout of a raging bull with text above and below it. “YAKINIKU Bar” up top, and “NO BEEF, NO LIFE.” down below, with a wavy-edged white box with the text “2nd” cut out of it positioned above “NO LIFE”, between the bull’s hind legs. The planks surrounding the entrance leading to the upstairs entrance were just as thick but shorter than the sign, while those around the entrance under the sign were just as long but much thinner, and also positioned vertically. There was a door on the left, and two windows on the right. A metal frying pan with the words “OPEN” painted across the inside hung between the door and the first window, while Shin leaned against the planks paneling the wall between the first window and the second.

After standing there, staring into space for a good while, he took his left hand out of his pocket and looked down at his watch. 20:00, or 8:00 P.M. The seconds timer to the right of the time ticked down from 58. 59, 00. 20:01.

“Great,” Shin grumbled. “So they’re gonna be fashionably late, huh? Just _wonderful_.” He lowered his arm, letting it hand while the right stayed put with his thumb in the pocket, looking back up to stare at nothing in particular. Another several seconds passed as he stared, his eyes on the verge of glazing over in boredom, but then…

“Hey, Shin! Over here!”

Shin blinked at the enthusiastic call from afar, grunting softly as he stood up straight and stepped away from the wall, turning to face right, the direction of the voice. “Finally. It’s about damn ti–”

Just then, his speech stopped in his tracks as surprise took over. His eyes widened, a strained yelp escaped behind his teeth, and his right thumb slipped out of his pocket as his cheeks went red, and not from any of the lights.

Running up to him from a good couple of meters away from the restaurant, practically taking over Shin’s field of view, was Utsugi, giggling happily as she raised her right arm and waved to him, the left moving like a jogger’s with each stride. She looked different than she normally did, though. While her powder blue hair was done up in pigtails as they always were, they appeared fluffier and larger than normal, as if she took a curling iron to them and then applied hairspray. She had also applied purple eyeshadow to her face, enough to be noticeable and not overly garish, and put on a pair of ruby earrings that shone in the surrounding lights. Those changes barely amounted to much compared to her choice of outfit for the evening. A pastel purple blouse with long puffball sleeves ending in appropriately sized cuffs for her wrist. High-waist shorts made of red suede. A faux-gold bangle anklet around her right leg, adding a slight jingle to her step. And a pair of fuschia kitten-heeled shoes. A revival of flashy 1980s fashion with subtle modern details to create an altogether new style.

“Shiiiiin~!” She called out to him again as she got closer, slowing to a stop as she pulled him into an instant bear hug. Even without leaping, it was too fast for Shin to avoid, even just a little bit. He grunted from the speedy embrace, not even needing to break free as she moved back, her hands moving to rest on his forearms. “I hope we didn’t keep you waiting _too_ long.”

Shin grunted under his breath as he looked at Utsugi in only slight annoyance, a small sweatdrop forming on his cheek. “No, not at all. By the way, your outfit…”

Utsugi blinked, her smile fading. “Hm? What about it?”

Shin glanced to the side as a nervous grimace formed on his face, his blush increasing. “It’s just… Well, you know…”

“Hmph. Don’t even _try_ saying she looks ugly.”

“It’s not that at all!” Shin exclaimed, turning to face the second voice. Utsugi turned to look too, letting go of Shin’s arms. “It’s just she…” His eyes narrowed as his grimace returned. “Actually, _all_ of you… I wasn’t expecting you to dress so _trendily_ for tonight.”

Before him were the other girls. Most of them, anyways. He eyed them from right to left, taking in the equally fashionable appearances of all of their outfits. First was Shirei, donning a bright green tube top with three tiered ruffles, detached puffball sleeves of the same color going down to just two inches above her wrist, a diamond choker, and black flare pants which barely covered the tops of her own pair of kitten-heeled shoes. She stood with legs spread and her hands on her hips, smiling as if she were modeling the outfit for Shin. Next was Yukisa, who stood frowning with her arms crossed. Her outfit consisted of a black mesh babydoll dress whose stretched-out collar exposed the collar of a white tee underneath, and metallic gold yoga pants, with a pair of kitten-heels also. Then there was Akari, standing behind Yukisa to her right with her hands behind her back. Her dress was comparatively simple; a white T-shirt with “CHILL IS NO DEAD” emblazoned across the front in three lines of black text with baby blue wavy lines moving through in multiple rows, frayed denim jeans with tears present in the thigh area, a black choker around her neck, a similarly colored wristband around her right hand, two pink leather belts wrapping around the waistband of her pants, and a pair of sneakers like Shin’s but with reversed colors. And for some reason, Chikuru was out of Shin’s sight, as broad as his personal panorama across the others was.

“Well what _did_ you expect? Our school uniforms?” Yukisa rebuked as she jerked her head to the side, her twintails fluttering behind her.

Shirei chuckled softly and stepped forward, bringing her hands together as she closed her eyes and tilted her head. “This _is_ a weekend get-together, remember? You can’t blame us for going all out.”

Akari nodded in agreement. “Hmm. Nice shirt, by the way.”

“If you ask _me_ , trendiness isn’t as important as you’re making it out to be.”

Chikuru suddenly crept up behind Shin as she spoke, pressing her breasts against his back as she always did as she draped her arms over his shoulders. Her outfit for the evening was just as stand-out than the others’, not to mention slightly more risqué. The ensemble consisted of a long-sleeved crimson V-neck shirt that showed off her cleavage, a tight-fitting black spandex miniskirt, thigh-high fishnet stockings with high heels, and a black leather belt tied two notches loose hanging off her waist. Accessorizing the main outfit were black choker, a pair of matching hand gloves, and a ribbon also of the same color, replacing her usual pink to tie her ponytail.

“So long as we look good, nothing else should matter in the slightest. Wouldn’t you agree, Shin?” Chikuru brought her right hand up to Shin’s cheek, gently forcing him to face her with a soft press from her spandex-clad fingers.

The touch snapped Shin out of the annoyed blank face he had on during the initial embrace, blushing a little brighter than he was and glancing to the side, made uncomfortable by where Chikuru was going with this. “That’s difficult to say…”

“Oh, come _on_ , Shin!” Utsugi whined as she pulled Shin’s arm by his shirt sleeve, making him yelp as he jerked forward, almost escaping Chikuru’s embrace. “What’s so difficult about telling us we’re pretty?”

“I can think of a few reasons…” Shirei said as she shot Shin an annoyed glance of her own, one hand still on her hips.

“Would one of those happen to be Tsugumukai dressing like a call girl?”

“Well excuse me for having a little _class_ , no-boobs!” Chikuru fired back at Yukisa, blushing in the embarrassment of being called out.

“What did you just call me, you stupid slut!?” Yukisa angrily replied, crouching some as she clenched her hands into fists.

“And _don’t_ call me _stupid_!”

Akari glanced back and forth between Yukisa and Chikuru nervously as they sniped at one another, without a single word to say.

“Ugh, could you _please_ not do that? You’re in _public_ , for god’s sake.”

The masculine voice coming from behind the group made Akari perk up, and Yukisa snap out of her rage at Chikuru. Likewise, Utsugi and Chikuru turned to look at where the voice was coming from, as did Shin, who they still held onto. Before long, Yukisa and Akari turned around too, as did Shirei.

“I swear, your constant bickering’s shaving years off my life,” Naokuu said as he stepped forward, coming to a stop just a few feet away from them. “Still, I gotta admit, you girls are really rockin’ that New ‘80s fashion.”

Of the six already in front of the restaurant, Yukisa was the first to respond to Naokuu’s presence beyond silent acknowledgement. She gasped in offense, blushing a bright red as she aggressively pointed at him. “Just what do you think you’re _wearing_ , Mister Detective?”

A black dress shirt, khaki pants, black Oxford shoes, and a red tie. The same outfit he wore to the station that morning, sans the jacket. That’s what Naokuu was wearing.

“You’re supposed to dress casual for this sort of thing!”

“What do you mean? This _is_ casual.” He grabbed the middle portion of his shirt up by his chest with one hand. “Why else would I be wearing my black shirt?”

“Quit joking around!” Yukisa scolded Naokuu, stepping forward with fists re-clenched. “You might just be tagging along with us tonight, sure, but that doesn’t give you an excuse to keep wearing your _work_ clothes.” She opened her right hand and held it out for emphasis. “This is a night of _fun_ we’re having, _not_ some off-site business meeting!”

“Did you _already_ forget why I ‘tagged along’ to begin with?”

“Uh…” Yukisa lowered her hand, at a legitimate loss for words.

“ _You_ might be here for fun, but _I’m_ not,” Naokuu announced as he pointed at himself with his right thumb. “ _I’m_ here because it’s the only way I can search each of your residences. Which, if I recall, is an _absolutely_ integral part of my investigation into Muchise Yokoshima’s disappearance.”

As Naokuu went on with his explanation, the rest of the girls watched, also having no words to say. Utsugi and Chikuru’s holds on Shin, listening also but with less interest, started to loosen. Once they loosened enough, he pulled away from the two and stepped to the side, glancing at the two of them to make sure they wouldn’t go after him. Apart from Utsugi stepping back as his sleeve escaped her grasp, and Chikuru pulling her arms back as he moved forward, neither of them made a move.

“So there you have it. This outing is _work_ , as far as _I_ see it, so my manner of dress shouldn’t be an issue. We clear?”

Yukisa grumbled under her breath, her fists shaking as she stood and resisted any move, knowing it wouldn’t do any good. Seconds after he finished, she scoffed in contempt, standing up straight as she stopped shaking. “Have it _your_ way, idiot.”

“Glad to hear it.”

While Yukisa wasn’t too happy about the outcome of that confrontation, the others were much more pleased that it was finally over. Shirei turned back to Yukisa and smiled with a soft giggle, while Akari blinked once and smiled as her eyes reopened. In the back of the tiny crowd, Utsugi looked on in continued excitement from earlier in the conversation, her mouth curved into an O shape as she squeezed her hands together, one closed into a soft fist and the other cupped around it. Chikuru just chuckled in amusement, placing her hand on Shin’s back. Shin looked at Naokuu with a blank face, then glancing at Chikuru in annoyance as she went back to touching him.

“Now then, if we’re done, why don’t we head inside?” Naokuu looked up at the sign above the restaurant entrance. “The night’s not getting any younger, and to be honest, I’m freakin’ _starving_.”

“I couldn’t agree more!” Shirei cheerfully said as she turned around and swung open the establishment door wide, stepping into the doorway and raising her arm for the others. “Right this way, everyone!”

“Yeah, finally some _food_!” Utsugi excitedly exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air as she followed Shirei into the restaurant.

“And some good fun too~,” Chikuru seductively added as she entered next, wrapping her shoulder around Shin and leading him in with her.

“Watch it…” Shin grumbled as he walked in at a slightly uneven pace from the others.

Naokuu sighed, following behind Chikuru and Shin. “This night better go by quick…”

Yukisa and Akari, the former still somewhat sour, brought up the rear as they entered NO BEEF NO LIFE 2nd, their Saturday night outing officially beginning.

********

“We will be heading out now.”

“Oh, so soon?”

“Yes.”

In an apartment building somewhere to the south of Shinjuku, in an upper-story room whose sole window to the outside provided a view of the ward’s skyline and the violet night sky above, Nawa and Fuji both sat on one knee before Tazuna. The three women were dressed in their usual outfits, masks and all. Tazuna stood with her arms crossed and her back to a shoji sliding door that was in good shape compared to the peeling paint of the apartment walls, both colored in the same dim reddish-pink hue that flooded the rest of the room. In addition to their genuflection, Nawa and Fuji both had their right hands pressed against the tatami flooring.

“Tonight’s battle may be starting late,” Nawa continued, “but it’s expected to be a big one. It is imperative that we survey the area beforehand to determine where external confrontation is least likely to occur.”

“Agreed,” Fuji said with a nod. “If we didn’t do _that_ , we wouldn’t make any progress in our objective, would we?”

“I suppose not.” Tazuna closed her eyes for a moment before reopening them. “Very well. Best of luck out there, Mistress Nawa. You too, Fuji.” She looked at each woman as she spoke to them, and then looked forward at the both of them. “Bring me back a cute one, okay~?” She chuckled devilishly.

“Of course, Tazuna,” Nawa and Fuji said and nodded in unison, looking directly at Tazuna with eyes faintly glowing in the weak light of the apartment. “We won’t let you down.”

********

The downtempo piano-drum fusion playing through the speakers of the restaurant mingled with, and were almost drowned out by, the harsh sizzles of meat slices cooking on the numerous two-person hotplates placed across the establishment’s dining tables as the night out got underway. On one of the two hotplates in the middle of the septet’s table, two thick slices of seasoned gyutan were cooking. Using a pair of chopsticks, Shin grabbed the piece that was still red on top by its end and flipped it over, exposing the browned exterior on the other side. He then moved his chopsticks over to the second slice, already brown on top, and moved it off the grill and onto his plate. It wasn’t long before he picked it back up again and took a bite off the end. He closed his eyes as he savored the meat, actually smiling as he hummed softly in satisfaction. In this moment, he didn’t seem to mind everyone else’s presence.

The table the group chose to sit at was a half-table, half-booth designed with four people in mind, the wooden booth built into the red plaster wall turning at a corner to form a semi-official fifth seat. Shin sat at one of the two chairs positioned along the length of the table. Chikuru sat next to him in the other chair, spending her time looking at Shin lovingly with her cheek resting against the back of her right hand, completely ignoring the meat sizzling on the hotplate in front of her. Yukisa, sitting in a chair brought over to the shorter edge not bordering the booth, focused on eating the various pieces of A5 rank beef she ordered, taking them off the grill and seasoning them on her plate before eating them. Akari, sitting across from Chikuru, quietly ate from a small bowl of chilled noodles she ordered, occasionally swiping a piece of A5 grade from the grill whenever Yukisa was eating one of her own pieces. Shirei, sitting across from Shin, had some meat on her own plate, fully grilled and seasoned with some wasabi from a jar between the hotplates, but took a break from eating it, instead looking at Shin as he chewed up his recent bite.

“You really love that meat, don’t you, Shin?”

“Mm-hmm!” Shin nodded, swallowing as his expression relaxed. “If there’s one thing you girls did right tonight, it was _definitely_ choosing this place to eat at. I gotta say, nothing beats their beef tongue!” He brought the gyutan back up to his mouth and took another bite, quietly savoring it with just as much fervor as the first.

“Oh?” Chikuru leaned in, grinning seductively. “Then maybe once you’re finished, you’d like to try _my_ tongue next?” She moaned softly as she playfully stuck out her tongue at Shin.

Shin swallowed, his face reverting to one of slight but resumed annoyance. “Not a chance.”

“Ooh, re- _jec_ -ted!” Shirei reacted to the tease and response, more amused than offended, no doubt in part thanks to the atmosphere of the evening. As she chuckled and sat back in her seat, Akari looked up to watch while Yukisa shook slightly, trying to ignore it all.

“Come on, sweetie,” Chikuru continued as she moved closer. “Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it~.”

“Well maybe I don’t _wanna_ try it!” Shin exclaimed, backing up and facing Chikuru uncomfortably after setting his gyutan back on his plate.

As for Naokuu and Utsugi, they sat together on the other edge of the booth, the pigtailed girl sitting on the edge of the seat with her hands in her lap while the detective leaned back against the wall, looking into his near-empty glass of shochu as he chatted with her. He was definitely more subdued than she was, her most recent addition to the conversation coming out loud.

“No _way_! You used to run track in high school too?” She leaned in, somewhat ecstatic at this reveal.

“Sure did. Thought it’d be good for the job, in case I got involved in a foot chase. Though the wrestling team is where I _really_ showed my stuff.” He brought the glass up and drank the rest of his shochu.

“Wrestling, huh.” Utsugi moved back some. “I _guess_ that’s a useful skill for police work, too.”

Naokuu sighed after finishing his drink, setting the glass back down on the table. “Not as much as you’d think, I’m afraid.”

Just as Naokuu finished his sentence, a scream came from a seat over, catching his and Utsugi’s attention. He blinked and glanced over in disinterest, while she turned in curiosity.

“What the hell are you doing!?” Shin exclaimed, backing up further on his chair as he pressed one foot against the edge of his seat in further hint of retreat.

On the other side of the “conflict”, Chikuru leaned in with closed eyes, one hand on her lap and the other on her cheek, and the second slice of grilled gyutan sticking half-way out of her mouth. “Go on, Shin,” she spoke around the meat. “Just one bite~.”

“Out of _your_ mouth? No way!”

“Dammit, Tsugumukai!” Yukisa shouted as she got up from her seat and put Chikuru in a full nelson hold, minus the hands to the neck. “Can’t you go five _seconds_ without trying to molest Kizuka!?”

Chikuru was at first surprised by Yukisa’s sudden maneuver, but even so shook her head in response to her rhetorical question, complete with a sensual “Mm-mm~”, and tried leaning in again in spite of the hold.

“Well, what’re you waiting for, Shin?” Utsugi exclaimed, getting up and placing her hands on Shin’s shoulders, gripping them as she eased him closer to Chikuru. “Go on and take a bite!”

“What the hell, Utsugi, you too!?” Shin looked back at Utsugi in increasing distress.

“Why not?” she replied with a shrug. “Can’t have a Saturday night out without a little excitement!” She resumed pushing Shin closer, his annoyance and distress inching higher as Chikuru pulled closer against Yukisa’s bind.

Shirei laughed softly as she watched from her seat, her hand resting against her cheek. “I agree, this _is_ exciting!”

Akari slurped up some of her noodles and quietly swallowed them. “Hm. If you say so.”

Naokuu just sat by and watched the commotion not even a meter from him in exhaustion, the voices proving to be the only coherency he got out of it.

“Hnn, let _go_ already!”

“Nope, not happening~!”

“Just give it up already!”

Those words, plus another muffled moan and amused laugh, were enough to make Naokuu close his eyes and frown further with frustration. “What a bunch of idiots…” He reached into his pants pocket and took out his pack of cigarettes, but instead of tapping one out, he looked inside the square opening where they usually came out. Completely empty. “Shit. Out already?”

By that time, Shin and Chikuru were now the closest they were to one another since before going in, thanks to and in spite of Utsugi and Yukisa’s respective gestures. Shin’s eyes were closed and his teeth clenched as he groaned through the latter, while Chikuru chuckled softly under her breath as she moved her beef-filled mouth closer.

“Listen up.”

“Hn?”

“Hm?”

Both Shin and Chikuru turned and opened their eyes as they looked up at Naokuu, as did the other girls. Standing between the two sides of the “conflict”, he looked down at them. “I just ran outta smokes, so I’m gonna head out and pick up a new pack, if that’s alright.”

“Of course it isn’t!” Yukisa exclaimed. “You can’t just ditch us to go on a cigarette run!”

“Calm down, it’s just _one_ pack, it won’t take long at all.” He reached out and tapped the top of Shin’s head. “Which means _you’ve_ gotta keep an eye on these girls ‘til I get back. You think you can do that?”

Shin glanced off to the side. “Uh, I…”

“Great.” Naokuu walked away from the group, raising his hand to them as he headed back towards the entrance. “See ya soon.” He gave his hand a wave or two before lowering it.

“Hey, wait a minute!” Shin called out to Naokuu, once more distressed. “Aren’t you gonna help me here!?”

“Apparently not,” Yukisa bluntly replied as she too looked back at Naokuu.

Chikuru used this opportunity to lean in towards Shin again, humming softly, but almost instantly, Yukisa pulled her back again, making her yelp as the end of the gyutan flipped up in the swift retraction.

********

Near the southern edge of Shinjuku, traffic along the Meiji Dori Avenue was thinning out. The lanes leading out of the ward were running smoothly with vehicles, though inbound traffic was scarce past the intersection with Japan National Route 20, with barely any of it actually crossing into Shinjuku. What’s more, along the empty asphalt lanes lit up by the streetlamps and gradually dimming window lights, a group of men ranging from their late 20s to their mid-40s walked in a group. The occasional car in the other lane, the intervals between growing farther and farther apart, paid them no mind, in spite of their intimidating appearance. Some dressed in sweaters and hoodies, with skinny pants bearing a stripe down one or both sides. Others wore business suits, tie optional. Most had full heads of hair, neatly combed back or dyed and wild, always with sideburns. One was shaved bald, with a tattoo inked on the side of his head. One carried a sword, while another drug a bat along the ground. The one in front, the most businessman-like of the bunch numbering seven, had a pistol in one hand as he walked with a confident stride. Despite their differences in appearance, dress, and weapon, they all had one thing in common: their status as yakuza.

“Trickling in already…” Fuji said to herself, looking out at the group from atop the Keio Frente Shinjuku-Sanchome Building roof. At first standing on one of the roof-mounted air ducts grouped among all the HVAC equipment, she hopped backwards to another closer to the roof level, which wasn’t all that far. “Looks like it’ll be starting soon.”

In a flash, accompanied by a shifting of the air, Nawa suddenly dropped in behind Fuji, standing atop another air duct as she crossed her arms. “How are they approaching from _your_ end?”

“On foot, as always,” the twintailed girl said with slight disappointment. “The majority of them should be arriving in about five minutes.”

“As I thought. None were coming from the north, but those within the ward are beginning to move. The homes and businesses from Okubo on up have already prepared for the quarantine.”

“So we’ll make our catch in Kabukicho, then?”

“Precisely.” Nawa uncrossed her arms and pulled out a length of rope from behind her back, the strand trailing behind hinting at more than what was rolled in her hand. “Let’s get to work.”

Fuji chuckled mischievously behind her OTN mask, glancing up at the night sky as she took out a cylindrical roll of white microfoam tape.

********

“It wasn’t the real deal, by far, but I went and bought it anyways!”

“Is that so?”

“Oh, you know it!”

Utsugi laughed at her remark, with Shirei joining in a second later with a softer chuckle of her own. At this point in the evening, everyone’s drink glasses were emptied and their plates of meat cleared out. Whether or not the check had arrived was irrelevant; the girls instead opted to just sit back and relax at the table, chatting over the spooky atmosphered music floating throughout the space. Though it was just Utsugi and Shirei who were chatting. As their laughter continued and eventually died down, Akari, her noodle bowl empty like the others’ meat plates, simply sat and looked across the table at Shin. The boy sat with his right arm raised yet relaxed, a point on his forearm near the elbow pressed against the top of the wooden chair. He looked down with a glance to the side, bored yet at the same time frustrated. Impatient, even.

Just as her chuckle came to a stop, Shirei opened her eyes at Shin, concern seeping into her expression. “Is something the matter, Shin?”

“Yeah,” Utsugi said with shorthand reiteration, sharing Shirei’s expression upon finishing her laugh. “I didn’t think you’d get down _this_ early.”

“Tell us, Shin.” Chikuru put her hand on Shin’s face as she leaned in with a more obviously concerned expression. “What’s eating you?”

“He hasn’t come back yet.”

Chikuru gasped softly at Shin’s blunt statement, while Utsugi simply blinked in obvious surprise. Shirei, however, was the first to speak. “You mean the detective?”

“He’s been gone for almost half an hour. It shouldn’t take that long to buy a pack of cigarettes.” Shin’s voice gradually got more aggravated as he spoke, though it avoided reaching the level of shouting.

“Hmph. He’s probably long gone by now; left us in the dust.”

“You’re _wrong_!” Shin exclaimed, turning to Yukisa as he stood. “He wouldn’t have just ditched us here, not if he’s trying to find Muchise like he said he would!”

He then moved away from his seat and over towards the restaurant entrance. Chikuru gasped again, looking on in further concern as he walked.

“Hey!” Yukisa called out to him. “Where do you think you’re going, idiot!?”

“To bring him back here, _that’s_ where!” Shin marched a few more steps before stopping and turning back at the table where all the girls were watching him leave. “Promise me you’ll stay put ‘til I get back, okay!?”

“Okay!” Utsugi called out.

“Sure!” Shirei said just as Utsugi did.

“Anything for you~,” Chikuru replied, holding a hand to her blushing cheek.

Akari said nothing but looked at him in understanding, while Yukisa grunted in reluctant acceptance.

Shin grumbled as he took in all five varying responses, turning around and marching out the door.

After the bell by the door rung and the door itself shut closed, Utsugi sighed and shrunk back into her seat. “Man, what’s Shin’s deal today?”

“Weren’t you paying attention?” Shirei said. “Clearly he doesn’t wanna hang out with us.”

Akari nodded with a soft grunt. “A sad state of affairs.”

“Having those two tag along was a mistake,” Yukisa said as she lowered her head in regret. “For them to abandon us without warning…”

“Are we _really_ that terrible?” Chikuru asked as she looked up at the ceiling, her hands in her lap.

“If so…” Yukisa looked up, glancing at the ceiling too. “Then no wonder they think we kidnapped Yokoshima.”

The other girls grunted softly as they either joined Yukisa and Chikuru in their regretful introspection. Shirei looked up like them, while Utsugi and Akari looked down at their laps. Their silence lasted only a few seconds, when…

“Hey! Whaddaya think you’re doing!?”

“What do you _think_? I can’t have you doing that by the front counter!”

The argument between two men at the entrance of the restaurant caught the girls’ attention, prompting them to look over in its direction. After a couple seconds of watching, some of their reactions changed. While Utsugi and Akari retained the same curious expressions they had, Shirei and Chikuru’s brows angled down, and Yukisa did the same but with an added scowl.

“Gimme a break, old man!” Naokuu shouted. “I walked five blocks for that cigarette, and you aren’t even gonna let me _finish_ it!?”

“Save it for the smoking section, _pal_ ,” the restaurant manager sarcastically remarked. He was indeed older than Naokuu, somewhere in his early 50s, the hair on his balding head having retreated to the back and sides of his dome. His facial hair consisted of a black soul patch that stood out just as much as the near-permanent squint his eyes had. He was dressed in a black tee and cargo pants with a beige gray apron tied around his waist. Holding Naokuu’s cigarette, now at half its usual length, between his thumb and index, he retreated it into his fist and ground it up.

Naokuu groaned as he stepped back, his hands in his pockets. “And here I thought this country’s smoking laws were _lax_ … Hm?” After taking the step back, he noticed five figures out from the corner of his eye, turning to face them. “Oh, hey.”

Blocking the edge between the main entrance and the main dining area, the five girls stood and faced Naokuu. Utsugi and Akari stood in the back, Shirei and Chikuru in front of them respectively, and Yukisa in front of and between the latter pair, practically seething at Naokuu.

“You _dumbass_!” She stepped forward and pointed at him. “Who in their right mind spends _thirty_ minutes buying _one_ pack of cigarettes!? There was a convenience store right _there_!”

Naokuu blinked once, barely startled by Yukisa’s accusatory attitude. “They didn’t have my brand,” he nonchalantly replied as he turned to face them. “That sorta thing’s important for a smoker.”

“Like _we_ care about your stupid brand!” Shirei interrupted, stepping forward and stretching her right arm out, holding it still to the side. “You shouldn’t have made us _worry_ like that!”

“Thanks to your lateness, Shin’s gone off looking all _over_ for you, you know,” Chikuru said, staying put but balling one hand into a fist.

“He did _what_!?” Naokuu turned around and looked down, a pissed-off look on his face. “Damn, I _knew_ I couldn’t trust that brat! Now I’ve gotta go find him!” With that, he took off.

Yukisa smirked, putting one hand on her hip. “I don’t think so.”

Just then, before Naokuu could even touch the door, the metal curtain built into the building came down, covering up the entrance from the street. He came to a stop as he saw the curtain descend through the glass of the door, his hand just a half-second away from pushing against it. He looked up, surprised but subtly so at that recent happening.

“Hey. What _is_ all this?”

“You mean you don’t know?” the manager asked, crossing his arms as he looked at Naokuu.

“No, I _don’t_ ,” Naokuu replied as he turned to face the manager. “So what’s going on here?”

“A battle.”

“What?” Naokuu gasped.

“You heard right. Tonight’s a big yakuza battle between this ward’s Natsukaji clan, and the Shimizu clan of Shibuya. And _we_ just so happen to be within the quarantine zone. No one’s getting out of here tonight, not ‘til the advisory gets lifted.”

All Naokuu could do was stare in shock, at both the occurrence he just learned of, and how stupid he must have been to not consider such an outcome. But that was nothing compared to what would come next.

“Oh my~.”

Chikuru’s simple words caught Naokuu’s attention, the detective grunting as he turned to face her and the rest of the girls. Yukisa was still smirking, her hand on her hip; Shirei lowered her arm and let up her annoyed face; Utsugi closed her eyes and grinned wide; Akari had a small smile showing; and Chikuru, in front, crossed her arms and shot Naokuu a sly grin.

“Looks like you’re stuck spending all night with us, Mister Detective~.”

“Such a shame, isn’t it?” Yukisa remarked sarcastically.

“For _him_ , maybe.” Shirei snickered.

Glaring at the girls and their pleased reactions at this otherwise serious news, Naokuu’s shock faded as anger took its place. As it did, what little shock was left morphed into realization, which only fueled his restrained response, scowling at them with indignation.

“Why you little…”

********

Shin stopped in his tracks on the barren one-way street, his right hand pressed against his knee and his left atop one of the black bollards separating the brick sidewalk from the asphalt road, gasping for breath all the while. There were neither cars nor people out at this time of night, which was odd, especially for a neighborhood with as brimming a nightlife as Kabukicho. Even the lights lining the streets were lessening, the neon and LED signs switched off entirely and only a handful of windows still illuminated. Only the streetlamps were on, or at least that was how it felt. Shin’s point of pause in that moment was in the long stretch between two of those streetlamps, leaving him in the dark. Much like that status, he paid no mind to the lack of outside activity, the buzzing of the lamps and his gasps of breath being the only sounds that filled the nighttime air.

Eventually, he finished recollecting himself and stood up. “What am I _doing_? He’s probably come back by now. I should get back too, before they start worrying.”

As he quietly spoke to himself, somewhat regretful of his spur of the moment decision, he turned around and began walking back the way he came. The buzz from the streetlamps persisted in serving as background noise as he headed for the closest intersection, just past the nearest light within view, but with each step, other noises came forward. The clinking of swords clashing together. The faint volley of pistol-fire. Not good sounds, but Shin wasn’t afraid to pay them no mind.

At least, not until what followed.

An explosion burst out from the intersection Shin was moments away from turning on. There was a burst of light accompanying a gray cloud of smoke, but no fire. The result of a flashbang, as opposed to something more lethal. Shin stopped in his tracks the moment it set off, stepping back in surprise, his eyes wide with shock. Not just in surprise, but in stark realization of what was happening around him.

“No way…”

Before him, as the smoke started to clear, a spark appeared through the screen, a sharp clink accompanying it. Two figures in the smoke clashed swords. One pushed back by the other into the intersection. They pulled back their blades, only to clash them again, producing another clink and spark.

“This is a…”

The figure to the left, a messy-haired man in his 30s, dressed in a loose-collar shirt and skinny pants, stepped back and took a breath as he held his sword up. After that quick refresher, he thrust his sword back and prepared to strike, clenching his teeth. But before he could so much as move, his opponent, dressed more formally but with an unbuttoned suit jacket, sped forward and stabbed him in the gut with his own sword. The man gasped in pain as blood shot out of his mouth, practically glowing in the lamplight showering through the breaks in the smokescreen.

“I’m watching a _battle_ … aren’t I?”

The clash between yakuza before him wasn’t the only battle going on in the street. As if out of nowhere, appropriately behind his back, multiple clashes broke out. Yakuza against yakuza. One on one, two on one, sometimes three on one. Fighting with swords, more often than not, but several used pistols, machineguns, even baseball bats too. Clinks and bangs flooded Shin’s ears as the street, and who knows how much of the ward, filled with those sounds of battle.

Shin grunted softly as he turned and looked behind him, scared but curious as to what went on beyond the initial skirmish to enter his sights. Over near the bollards on the other side of the road, a black-suited yakuza with tanned skin, black hair short enough to conform to his head’s natural shape, and a scar across the bridge of his nose and under his eyes fired shots from a pistol at a more casually dressed yakuza, who leaped backwards onto one of the bollards and blocked them with his sword. He jumped into the air and swung his sword down at his opponent, blocking it with his pistol, and with considerable difficulty.

In the middle of the street was a two-on-one clash between a bald, tattooed yakuza from one side, and two others with full heads of hair, all dressed in casual garb. The first full-headed yakuza swung down at the bald one with his katana, only for the latter to quickly turn 90 degrees and avoid the strike, his back arching to further dodge the blade. He brought his sword up in his left hand and swiftly struck the back of his opponent’s neck with it. As the first fell, the second shouted as he raised a bent pipe above his head, about to strike. Just as quickly as he downed his first opponent, the bald yakuza slashed his second’s chest, forcing him to close his eyes and grunt in pain as the blood sprayed forth.

Near the short black marble barrier separating the brick sidewalk from the Shinjuku Toho Building was a battle somehow more violent than the last. A casually dressed yakuza with a gold bling necklace screamed in a weird combination of fear and fury as he fired several machinegun rounds at a quick black-suited yakuza rushing him from the other side of the barrier. He leaped onto the barrier and used it as a springboard for his next jump. After going up a full meter or so, he came back down just as his opponent started firing at the air. He brandished his sword with both hands and swung his blade across the other’s gut, a large blood splatter landing on the back wall of the Toho Building, red against black with thin white horizontal lines.

Shin watched the battles in horror, his speechlessness at the grand scale subduing those feelings from breaking out into true terror. After witnessing just a few more clashes between swords, guns, both and neither, the horror subdued further as he grunted harshly, making a swift turn around and to the right. Sidestepping what remained of the smoke from the earlier flashbang using the corner of the brick sidewalk, Shin found his way back onto the intersection, his arms moving back and forth with each stride he made down the asphalt, where the sound of more battles to come could be heard.

He kept running, speeding past several bikes left abandoned outside for the evening, the black planter structure filled with shrubs and trees separating the street from the Toho Building to the east, and the green traffic cones semi-evenly spaced along the road’s edge and its curb, some nestling themselves between bikes. Shin inhaled and exhaled as he ran past all of that, pausing just once as he almost tripped over his own feet. He quickly regained himself, continuing his dash forward, continuing to breathe in and out. He avoided running into any battles on the way, but he eventually caught up to one, just outside the nearby convenience store. Even worse, it was right his path.

He gasped in urgency as he saw it. A man in his 40s with black hair tied back into a straight-hanging rattail, his black dress jacket hanging open to reveal his white undershirt and dark blue tie, holding a pistol in his hand. The man that led the group of seven into Shinjuku from the south. He was silent as he stood facing an enemy yakuza in the same style of casual dress as the others, his head shaved but not bald, and wearing a pair of sunglasses with a reflective surface. He had a sword in his hand, much like the others on his side. He shouted as he raised the blade above his head, gripping the handle with both hands as he ran forward and swung it down. The formally dressed yakuza stepped to the side and dodged the blow, but his opponent wasn’t quick to give up. He swiftly turned around and rushed again with another unintelligible battlecry, swinging his sword from the side.

It was then that Shin’s run reached a sudden halt, though he didn’t stop. Instead, he took a frantic step back from the conflict, to barely avoid the sword as it came right at its target. The ponytailed yakuza blocked the blade with his left forearm, cutting through his sleeve and into his skin but not going far thanks to the muscle underneath. All the while, his face was as stoic as ever. His opponent gasped in fear, but he didn’t have the chance to retreat. He raised his pistol and shot him twice in the chest. As his enemy’s blood splattered onto him, Shin swiftly ran behind the yakuza, making it past his obstacle in escape.

One building past that concluding battle, and Shin came across an alley visible from his left. It cut over from the street he was on to one street over, a three-story building with metal curtain down on the other side. It was spacious enough for him to fit into, even with the potted plants against one of the walls and the yellow vending machine standing opposite them on the other side. Taking that chance, Shin slowed to another pseudo-stop as he turned to look down the alley, and then rushed into it. As he came to a true stop in the middle of the empty passage, he glanced back at the street he left behind. The winning yakuza clashed with another rushing at him with knife in hand. He grabbed his would-be assailant’s wrist and forced his arm down before punching him square in the face with his free hand.

“Whew…” Shin exhaled as he turned back, lowering his head with closed eyes. “ _That_ was close. Guess I’ll be hiding out here ‘til things calm down.”

“Mmmfffpph! Mmmhhmmmnn!”

“What the?” Shin opened his eyes and looked up at the faint, muffled cries for help he could hear through the clashes at either end of the alley. Once he did, he saw that he was standing at the end of another alley; a smaller passage narrower than the one he was in, dead-ended by three tall buildings and lit by a single lamp built into one of their outer walls, showering the enclosed space in a magenta glow. In that sub-alley was the source of those cries.

A girl in her mid-20s with long dark-brown hair, dressed in a revealing waitress uniform and frilly headdress, stood in the middle of the alley, bound and gagged. Her arms and legs were tied together with rope and microfoam tape, the former pair behind her back, while more rope wrapped around her chest in a makeshift harness, both binding and emphasizing her above-average endowment. Her mouth was packed with a soft, almost silencing material held in place by several colored cloth bandanas, tied in back and secured further by a cloth collar around her neck, which itself had a large leather collar locked around it. All the while, she thrashed in her binds, moving her head side to side as her cries for help persisted. “Nnnnngggfff! Mm-mmmmpph!”

Surrounding the helpless woman on either side were Nawa, who held one of the ropes tying her in place behind her back, and Fuji, who adjusted the collar around her neck in spite of her movements.

“Ugghh, just hold _still_ already!” Fuji complained as she pulled the leash attached to the woman’s collar, eliciting a muffled scream. “I swear, strugglers are the _worst_.”

Nawa remained silent, though she turned to look at the end of the alleyway.

Fuji took notice not long after. “Hmm? Something the matter, Mistress Nawa?”

Nawa turned back. “It’s nothing, Fuji. I just thought I saw someone.”

“Oh really? Want me to go check?”

By the time the two masked women started conversing, Shin had already left their sights, or at least Nawa’s. His back was against the wall just before the turn into the narrow space, his hands pressing against the cool exterior as he inhaled and exhaled, slowly yet desperately, in an attempt to calm himself. Even so, thoughts raced through his head with great intensity.

“ _What the hell was_ that _? D-Did I just see a kidnapping in progress? One of the serial ones?_ ” He glanced to the right. “ _And were those_ ninjas _that had her?_ Female _ninjas? And they were…_ ” He clenched his eyes shut and groaned mentally, a brief blush coming across his face. “ _What_ _was I even_ seeing _just now!?_ ”

“Well, well, what do we have here~?”

Shin gasped, his eyes shooting open as the horror he felt earlier returned, this time twofold, or possibly greater. He trembled as his eyes darted around, moving up the form of the girl who spoke to him with blurry vision. A slender figure, with C-cup breasts and hips that looked to be similar in number on the vital statistics front. The figure was only accentuated by her outfit, a pastel purple tankini top and thong combo, with black opera gloves and stockings for contrast. The pastel purple color scheme also expanded to her eyeshadow, accenting her bright red orbs, and mask, conforming to the shape of her lower face and neck but allowing her freedom to speak. And then there was her black hair, tied into twintails as two locks rested on either shoulder, shining purple from the light from the nearby lamp. It made Fuji look more girly than womanly, the sound of her voice even moreso. Even so, her right arm stretching out and pressing against the wall to Shin’s left, coupled with the tone of that voice, was anything but innocent.

“Just as I suspected,” she spoke teasingly with an air of menace. “There was a witness to our deeds _after_ all. So how long were you _watching_ , boy? How much did you _see_?” She giggled softly.

All Shin could do was stare in fear and confusion, a drop of sweat running down the side of his head. He stayed that way, trembling a tad more for another few seconds. And then, without a word, he bolted. He shifted to the right, preparing to get around Fuji and escape somewhere else. Somewhere safer than this. In spite of his sudden movements, Fuji did nothing but turn and look at him as he ran.

Then again, it wasn’t like she needed to _do_ anything. Just as he got past her and turned to run on his one foot, a length of rope, long and continuous, shot out from the other side of the alley and wrapped around Shin’s body. His arms were bound to his sides, he legs pulled together, and his torso bound with several wraps of rope. None of it was sloppy in the slightest; all expert. Shin grunted as he found himself in this immediate predicament, closing his eyes and straining against the binds as he tried to break free but to no avail. He raised his head as he was pulled back, and then lowered it as he struggled in place.

Nawa stood behind Shin, holding the ropes tying him in place with one hand while her other held onto those binding the waitress she and Fuji captured moments ago, still thrashing and crying out around her jam gag. She remained still, not minding either’s struggle. However, in contrast to her female catch, Shin gave up the struggle quickly, gasping for breath.

“Such a naughty boy~. We can’t have you escaping _that_ easily,” Fuji said as she held up a wad of bright pink cloth before Shin, squeezing it in her gloved hand.

Shin’s eyes widened as he saw Fuji approach, his eyes moving from her to the jam gag to be. She looked enthusiastic to cram it inside his maw, and he was just as terrified at that same prospect.

Fuji let out one last soft, sinister chuckle as she gripped the bottom of the cloth wad and opened her eyes. “Now then… Say ‘ _ahh_ ’!”

Her eyes suddenly widened as she turned to face Shin, leaning in to stare him down for a split second as she moved her arm back. Loosening her grip on the gag for an equally split second, she grabbed it with the whole of her palm and then, akin to a punch or even a strike, she propelled the gag forward with her hand behind it, aimed right at Shin’s mouth.

“Hnnnph!”

Just like that, the deed was done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Chikuru’s outfit is supposed to resemble that of the “Mistresses” featured in Jam-Orbital’s “Welcome to Jamsel U” image pack, particularly seen in the crimson top, black bottom color combination. Many of the accessories were also lifted from the aforementioned pack.  
> 2\. A shoji sliding door is one made of translucent paper over a frame of wood, typically used in traditional Japanese housing.  
> 3\. A5 rank beef is, according to the Japan Meat Grading Association, meat that is of grade A yield and grade 5 quality. In short, the best possible grade beef can achieve.  
> 4\. The Keio Frente Shinjuku-Sanchome Building is an 8-story shopping center in Shinjuku which also houses restaurants and office space. They are best-known for housing the Tokyo Shinjuku store for Louis Vuitton, the store’s promotional images adorning the front of the building.  
> 5\. The Shinjuku Toho building is a skyscraper in Shinjuku housing various restaurants, amusement shops, and several cinemas on the first eight floors, with a thin tower belonging to the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku on one side comprising levels 9 through 30. The building also houses a giant Godzilla head on the eighth floor’s outside terrace. The street where Shin finds himself in the middle of the Shimizu-Natsukaji yakuza battle runs along the back end of the building to the north.  
> 6\. “Vital statistics” are another name for bust/waist/hip measurements.


	3. Act 2

“You _knew_.”

Naokuu growled, his hands clasped together in irritation as they rested on the wooden tabletop.

“You _knew_ there was gonna be a battle here tonight, one big enough to warrant a quarantine.”

The street outside NO BEEF NO LIFE 2nd was completely devoid of Kabukicho’s regular nightlife. Metal curtains concealed the entrances to it, the izakaya next door, and all the other buildings along the street. All that was left were the sounds of battle at either end of the street, hinting at their eventual presence.

“You _knew_ that, and yet you still chose _this_ place for our outing, knowing that we’d be locked in ‘til sunrise…”

Sitting across from him at the table, the same one they were in for their time at the restaurant, were the girls, in different seats from before. Chikuru sat in Shin’s old seat, one arm draped over the back of her chair while the other rested in her lap, a casual grin on her face; Yukisa sat in Chikuru’s, eyes closed and frowning as her hands were clasped together in her own lap; Akari sat in Yukisa’s, with as blank a look as always; Utsugi sat in Akari’s, her hands behind her head as she looked up at the ceiling and nonchalantly, soundlessly whistled; and Shirei sat in Utsugi’s, turning to face Naokuu with annoyed eyes but an indeterminate facial expression.

“…and you didn’t even bother to _warn_ me!?” Naokuu shouted to finish, his voice piercing through the hip-hop tune playing over the intercom but not drowning it out entirely.

“Calm down,” Shirei said, frowning as she put her balled-up hand to her cheek. “This was the only way to keep you from bailing on us tonight.”

“We didn’t mean any harm by it, honest,” Utsugi chimed in, turning to look at Naokuu also with an assuring smile.

Chikuru chuckled softly, moving the hand in her lap to her cheek as she blushed. “I hope you’ll be able to forgive us for keeping you here~.”

“Like _hell_ I will! Not while you’re still suspects!” Naokuu’s hands moved apart, his right pressing against the tabletop as he stood up and leaned forward. “But enough about _me_ , what about your crush!? He’s trapped out there in a sea of battle-crazy yakuza! He’s probably _dead_! Does that not _concern_ you!?”

“Oh, it _does_ , don’t get me wrong!” Utsugi replied, shaking her head.

“Obviously, we’re concerned,” Shirei added with slight sadness.

“More than you would think,” Akari said.

“We’re just as worried about him as _you_ are, believe me,” Chikuru nodded slightly.

Yukisa grunted as she opened her eyes and glanced at Naokuu. “Be that as it may, _you’re_ the reason we’re even _on_ this outing here to begin with. Kizuka or no Kizuka, if _you’re_ spending all night with us, _that’s_ what’s important.”

Though he still listened to what Yukisa had to say, Naokuu’s sights drifted elsewhere. A sign on the wall several feet behind the girls, just before turning the corner back to the main entrance. To the left was a red prohibition sign with a cigarette inside, smoke coming from one of the ends. To the right was a grouping of text in both Japanese and English.

喫煙制限区域

NO SMOKING IN THIS AREA

“Are we clear?”

“Yeah…” Naokuu sighed with unenthusiasm. This was then followed by him putting his palm to half of his face and mentally groaning in further frustration. “ _Goddammit, Shin! Why’d you have to leave me alone with these girls!? I oughta smack you for this..._ ” He opened his right eye, staring off into nowhere in particular. “ _I swear…_ ” His eye narrowed with all seriousness. “ _You better not have gotten yourself killed._ ”

********

Shin let out a tired moan inside his mind. Before him was darkness, which was only expected as he barely started to wake up.

“ _W-What happened? Where am I? Am I dreaming, or…?_ ”

These thoughts floated through him as he weakly opened his eyes, his vision blurry through the slit formed by his lids. It opened a little, then paused, then started opening again. He was met with a line of light, pink in color, bordered on either side by more darkness. The light grew fainter after a while as shadows came from either side in confrontation, soon joined by garbled dialogue, unintelligible to his waking senses.

“ _What’s going on out there? An argument? I wonder…_ ”

He couldn’t tell, especially in his dreary state, but Shin was tied up. Bound and gagged, cloth bandanas wrapped and secured around the lower half of his face as the packing inside his mouth limited his thoughts to himself and only himself. He laid on his side, looking out of a small slit formed by the ajar shoji door. As he thought, on the other side was an argument.

“I just can’t believe you _did_ this!”

“What did I do _wrong_ , exactly? I got you a cute one, just like you asked!”

“But why the _boy_ , Fuji? Why the _boy_?” Tazuna pointed at the twintailed girl sternly. “You of all people should know I don’t _do_ boys!”

Fuji rubbed her upper arm with her other hand and glanced down to the side. “I know, but…” She blinked and looked back at the ponytailed girl. “He _saw_ us, Tazuna. He _saw_ us take that girl! I couldn’t just let him go free after that!”

Kneeling down with her back to the apartment window was Nawa, silently watching as the two conversed, occasionally blinking.

“So why didn’t you just kill him?”

“Are you insane!? We’re bondage ninjas, we don’t _kill_ people! Hell, I couldn’t kill a _fly_ , let alone an innocent bystander!”

In the time passed, Shin was awake enough to realize what was going on. His eyes were wide with shock, and once that initial shock wore off, he started screaming, his jam gag muffling it considerably.

“And besides…” Fuji blushed, the redness in her cheeks spreading over the edge of her mask. “He was too _cute_ for me to hurt. Even just a little.”

Tazuna put her hands on her hips and closed her eyes. “Explain away all you want, that won’t make me less disappointed in you.”

Fuji gasped, backing up in tearful offense. “T-That’s so mean of you, Tazuna!”

“As discipline expert around here, it’s my _duty_ to be mean.”

“Yeah, but still!”

“Girls,” Nawa spoke, closing her eyes as she interrupted her bickering subordinates. “He’s awake.”

“Hm?” Tazuna and Fuji both turned to face the shoji door, staring at it in attention.

Not two seconds after giving it a look, Tazuna turned and grabbed the edge of the door, sliding it open. There, before her and Fuji, was Shin, tied up in a similar position to how he was before. His arms were now properly tied behind his back, but everything else was the same. He kept loudly protesting through his mouth packing and the several bandanas covering it up – the outermost a slate gray color – wriggling around on the floor like a worm as he angrily glared at the two girls.

“Ah, so he _is_ ,” Tazuna remarked, reaching down and pulling him out into the main room by the ropes binding his forearms.

Once he was out and set on the ground, Fuji untied the bandanas around Shin’s face, letting them fall to the ground before grabbing the visible portion of the cloth wad she shoved into his forced-open mouth earlier. He took a sharp gasp of breath, a thin trail of saliva leaking from the side of his mouth upon the cloth’s exit, and then started panting for more.

“So, what do you have to say for yourself, boy?” Tazuna asked scornfully, her hands on her hips.

It didn’t take long for Shin to finish catching his breath, and he didn’t slack off in his response either.

“Who the hell _are_ you!? Where _am_ I? Why am I tied up? Hell, why did you even bring me here to _begin_ with!? I don’t remember ever doing anything to you! So I witnessed you kidnapping a girl, so _what_!? It’s not like that matters to me!”

Tazuna and Fuji just looked at him, their eyes half-lidded in dissatisfaction.

“ _He’s_ certainly a talker.”

“Want me to gag him again?” Fuji held up another wad of cloth, this one purple instead of pink.

“I have a better idea,” Tazuna replied as she moved back down to Shin.

“There’s no reason for me to be her–!” Before he could finish what little was left of his exclamation, Tazuna slapped Shin across the face. Grunting in pain, Shin lowered his head, one eye closed as his cheek burned from the strike. “What was _that_ for?”

“Shut up,” Tazuna said coldly, moreso than before. “Our identities and location are none of your concern.” She stood back up, her F-cups jiggling inside her leotard with the subtle movements she made.

Fuji put her hands behind her back, looking down at Shin with a tad more kindness than Tazuna, her Cs also bouncing slightly. “Though the answer to _one_ of those should be pretty obvious.”

Shin glanced up at them, his scowl widening. “You girls are ninja, right?”

Fuji closed her eyes, placing one hand on her hip and nodding. “Mm-hmm. That we are.”

“Fuji!” Tazuna responded, turning to her twintailed partner in astonishment at her nonchalant affirmation.

“Whaaat? I just _said_ it was obvious.”

“And the serial kidnappings… Those were _your_ handiwork?”

“My, you really catch on _quick_.”

Tazuna gasped in astonishment again. “Dammit, Fuji!”

“Oh, what was I _supposed_ to do, lie to the kid when he’s _right_?” Fuji shifted her hips to the side some as she shot back at Tazuna. “Geez…”

“And the yakuza really put you up to it?” Shin continued, raising his head some. “Can’t say I’m surprised.”

“ _Those_ brutes? Please! They’ve got _nothing_ to do with us, besides acting as our distraction and fall guys.” Fuji smiled with her closed eyes as she put her right hand on her hip. “It never ceases to amaze me how _easy_ it was to frame them for _our_ transgressions.” She laughed to herself.

Tazuna, on the other hand, was none too pleased with Fuji’s confession, which came as casually as the last two. She glared at her angrily for the entire time she spoke, and shortly after she started laughing, she reached over and grabbed her earlobe, pulling on it sharply.

“Gah!” Fuji’s eyes clenched shut as she was forced to the side by Tazuna’s pull, wringing the air with her hands. “Not the lobe, not the lobe…”

“I apologize for my teammate,” Tazuna said as she looked down at Shin. “She’s still a little green behind the ears. I’ll be sure to take care of that _later_.” She let go of Fuji’s ear, the other girl gasping as she pulled away. “So is there anything _else_ you want us to blab about?”

“Just one more thing. Of the girls you kidnapped…” Shin looked up at them with a grave expression, his eyes still glaring in anger. “Was one of them a redhead? High school age? Picked up from somewhere that _wasn’t_ a back alley?” He asked those questions with utmost confidence and little to no shred of intimidation, in spite of the fact that the two kunoichi looked down at him, as if he was below them more than literally.

“Ohhh, you must mean _her_ ,” Tazuna remarked, her reply getting a silent look of astonishment from Fuji. “Yeah, we picked her up earlier this week.” She closed her eyes as she put her hands to her masked cheeks. “She’s been sooo much fun for me to play with. Ah! Those muffled cries of her are just _delectable_ ~!” Tazuna moaned in arousal. “Why do you ask? Is she a friend of yours?”

“Oh! I just remembered! He’s that boy we spotted leaving her house the other night!”

“Really? Well now, talk about a coincidence!” Tazuna started laughing, with Fuji joining in not a second later.

As he listened to them, Shin’s glare had grown even more malicious than before. His eyebrows were angled down as much as they could go, his scowl had widened and opened enough to show his gritted teeth, and he trembled every few seconds as if he was about to burst. In that time, he muttered her name under his breath.

“Muchise…”

And then, just as they were laughing, it all came out.

“You _bastards_! I _knew_ it! You’re the ones who took her! Why in the world would you _do_ that!? I swear, if you don’t bring her out here and give her back to me right _now_ , there’s gonna be _hell_ to pay! You hear me? I’m not gonna forgive you for this!”

Shin’s resumed ranting elicited no reaction from Tazuna and Fuji, just the same dissatisfaction as before.

“Okay, _now_ you can gag him.”

“On it.” Fuji held up the wad she procured earlier.

“I ain’t gonna for-hmmmmph!” In an instant, Fuji swiftly jammed the cloth into Shin’s mouth, muffling him as effectively as she had the first time. She got down on one knee and picked up the bandanas serving as the outer layer for his earlier OTN gag, tying them around his face as the boy wiggled around in resumed protest.

Tazuna, meanwhile, crossed her arms and sighed. “Just as I feared, he knows too much. What do you suggest we do with him, Mistress Nawa?” Tazuna asked as she looked at the remaining kunoichi, still kneeling and observing from the sidelines. “If we’re keeping him, he should be _Fuji’s_ pet, not _mine_.”

Nawa closed her eyes and remained silent in the several seconds after Tazuna asked her question. Once those seconds passed, she reached her decision and opened her eyes.

“Let him go.”

“Ah… wha?” Tazuna gasped, backing up with her arms out to either side. “What are you _saying_ , Mistress? You _do_ realize he knows who we are and what we’ve done, right? We can’t let him wander free after that!”

“Maybe,” Nawa said as she stood up, “But he knows _nothing_ beyond that. Our status as ninja, and our performance of the kidnappings. Both are paltry compared to all else. Besides, he just happened to wander into the wrong place at the wrong time. We can forgive _that_ , can’t we?”

Tazuna glanced off to the side. “So that’s it? We’re just gonna set him loose based on _that_?”

“Not necessarily.” Nawa strolled over from her seat on the floor to the corner of the room, her hands behind her back. “As generous as my decision may be, we cannot risk being found out. Which is why…” She stopped and looked back at Tazuna. “You and Fuji are tasked with making certain he keeps _quiet_ about us. Does _that_ satisfy you?”

Tazuna turned to Nawa and nodded in understanding obedience. “Yes, Mistress Nawa.”

“Good. And as for _how_ you’ll keep him quiet…” She turned back. “Do whatever you please. You and Fuji have free reign over him tonight.”

“Of course, Mistress.”

It only took Tazuna a second following her obedient nod and reply to her superior ninja to think of what to do with the “free reign” granted to her and Fuji. When she did, she turned back and grinned behind her mask. “Heh.”

Back near the apartment’s shoji door to the other room, Fuji had finished fastening the bandanas over Shin’s face to their ideal tightness. In the time Tazuna spoke with Nawa, she had added a cloth collar around his neck and wrapped a roll of microfoam tape around his torso to keep him from moving his arms as much as he had been. She was sitting on his back, binding his hands with a roll of black duct tape, when Tazuna walked back over to them.

“This is your lucky day, boy,” the ponytailed ninja announced. “Turns out you’ll be going free after all. But before any of _that_ …!” She raised her left foot, clad in one of her light pink stockings and freed from her sandal, and brought it down onto Shin’s face. The boy grunted behind his gag at the impact, closing his eyes to deal with the dull pain to his face. He then opened his left eye, the one not covered by Tazuna’s foot, and looked up at her. Towering over him, hands on her hips, grinding her heel against his face, all in a show of dominance. “We’re gonna have a little _fun_ with you.”

Fuji stood up and walked around to Shin’s side, once more smiling with her closed eyes as she joined Tazuna in looking down at him. “Hope you’re big on BDSM~!” She giggled mischievously as she held up her roll of duct tape.

“Oh yes. The two of us are gonna play with you _real_ good,” Tazuna added with an added level of teasing to her malice. She pushed her foot down harder on Shin’s face, grinding it in some more. All Shin could do was look up at the two girls in detestation as they teased him, a prelude for the late-night punishment he was about to endure…

********

The rest of the night passed by rather quick, like a dream. Disjointed and silent. Abstract in its orderly back-and-forth. Between the boy, the detective, and the battle that separated them both.

The purple glow of the Shinjuku skyline faded to a light gray as the late night of Saturday became the early morning of Sunday, but that was just the beginning.

In the streets of Shinjuku, the yakuza continued to clash. Two sword-wielding silhouettes against a shower of lamplight from above, struggling for a few seconds in their clash as similar battles with the same weapons raged on in the darker fringes. The silhouettes leaped back, out of the light. One steadied himself with blurry vision while the other rushed at him, shouting as he rushed forward with his sword above his head, about to strike…

The latest of several impacts from a leather riding crop landed on the small of Shin’s back, prompting another scream muffled by his jam gag. In the room behind the shoji door, dimly lit by the pink glow of the main room and a weaker set of lights near the back, Shin stood in the middle of the tatami floor, his arms raised above his head by a short rope tied to a hook in the ceiling. His legs tied together with more duct and microfoam tape, he wriggled around as Tazuna kept whipping his back, showing him no mercy. His shirt was bunched up in back and kept in place with rope, giving her plenty of space to deliver the initial punishment, which came faster the more he thrashed. Fuji watched the painful show, her arms crossed and her back to the wall. The sight amused her so much, she couldn’t help but close her eyes and bring her hand to her covered mouth, chuckling all the while.

Naokuu sat and watched as Shin’s classmates kept their outing going strong, spending the quarantine chatting amongst one another, the table now free of the miniature hotplates. He glanced at Utsugi’s mouth as it started to move, as she brought up something he couldn’t bother to pay attention to otherwise. It was all visual to him. The pigtailed girl speaking, moving her hands up and down for emphasis, and the others reacting in that predictable variety of ways. Shirei smiling. Chikuru laughing cheerfully with her hand to her mouth. Yukisa harrumphing as she turned her head away. Akari blushing. It bored him. And so, he raised his refilled glass of shochu and took a drink.

A cough of blood came from the mouth of the most recent victim of a formally dressed yakuza, the unfortunate opponent impaled with an odachi sword. He thrust it out swiftly, almost gracefully, a crimson splash traipsing across the lamplight highlighting their silhouettes. As his kill fell to the ground, the yakuza turned around as another casually-dressed yakuza ran up and started shooting at him. He put up the flat of his blade, shifting it to deflect both bullets. One of the deflected hit him in the shoulder, and his opponent took that moment of weakness to pull back and just as swiftly run him through.

The opaque black nylon of Fuji’s right stocking made contact with the slate stretch fabric bandana completing Shin’s layered gag as the twintailed kunoichi teasingly brought her own foot to his face. She sat on the ground, left leg bent and right outstretched, while he laid across from her, now hogtied with the rope binding him all over. Though he was far from direct sensory contact with her toes, the pressing motions they made against his facial coverage made him close his eyes and shake his head in refusal. The shakes weren’t as pronounced as he wanted them to be, thanks to Tazuna. She stood on top of him, her right foot on the upper small of his back and the left pressed atop his head. Once his attempts to shake their motions ceased, he opened his and glanced off to the left, weary.

With a blink and the glance to the right, Naokuu took a look at some of the other patrons of the first floor yakiniku restaurant. Most of them were twentysomethings like him, a mix of men and women dressed in casual garb, with a businessman in his 40s mixed in with the rest. They all looked down, either by the battle happening outside or the quarantine resulting. Some of them literally looked at their laps or the ground, others talked with one another in a solemn mood, and one girl actually sat on the floor and cried into her arms as they rested against her bent knees, her boyfriend consoling her with multiple pats on the back. With another blink, he glanced back to the girls. Happily chatting, having the time of their lives. The contrast disgusted him, so much so that he instinctively reached for the cigarette pack resting in his shirt pocket. He stopped himself before he could move less than an inch closer, though, his hand relaxing as repeat realization set in.

Machinegun fire went off as one yakuza gripped his weapon, several flashes a second illuminating the darkness in which he stood. His opponent in the solitary battle had his back to a building, the bullets rapidly exiting the chamber striking him all over his torso. Blood flew out of each exit wound, splattering on the building behind him in small blotches. After that volley, though, came the kill shot. One last bullet through the heart. An instinctive throwing back of the head. And a larger circular splatter. Whether or not it was a metaphor, it didn’t matter.

It felt like a kill shot for Shin as he received yet another kick to the crotch from Tazuna. His pants were around his ankles, his striped boxers exposed for the kunoichi to see from behind. A piece of microfoam tape was wrapped around the area of his butt, and written on it in purple permanent marker, was English text: “KICK HERE”, with a down-pointing arrow between both words. Standing to Shin’s right, Fuji turned to Tazuna in concern, perhaps that she was being too rough with him. Indeed, Shin was in quite sharp a pain. His hands were bound before him, once more hanging from the ceiling hook by a short rope, and he trembled in the lingering aftershocks from the most recent kick. But Tazuna ignored Fuji’s warning, pulling her leg back for another kick. She swiftly brought it forward, and it connected as hard as it did before. As he felt the kunoichi’s shin harshly push against his manhood, Shin once more cried out, eyes clenched shut and trembling. As the pain continued coursing through his entire self, tears started to slowly flow out.

Naokuu opened his eyes as he looked up at it for what felt like the billionth time tonight. The red “no smoking” symbol, reflected in his pupil. It was torture, not being able to smoke though he desperately wanted one. That symbol was mocking him, or so it felt. But for all those internal feelings, he was too exhausted to properly express them. He just glanced at the symbol, the sign it was on, and then closed his eyes as he lowered his head, sighing.

A single shot fired from a revolver, held by a yakuza with full intent of using the weapon. A smoking bullet casing ejected from the firearm, clinking against the pavement, and spinning as it bounced back into the air.

Another muffled cry of pain from Shin.

A solemn and fatigued glance down from Naokuu.

A single drop of blood hitting asphalt, splashing upwards like a drop in a bucket.

Tazuna sighed softly against the interior side of her OTN mask, wiping the sweat from her forehead with one of her gloved arms as she looked down. “I think that takes care of it.”

Fuji nodded with a soft grunt as she glanced in the same direction Tazuna was. “It’s kind of a shame, really. That our time with him is up.”

Shin laid on the tatami floor before the two kunoichi, the light in back switched completely off as the glow through the shoji paper illuminated him from one side only. His eyes were open, nearly soulless, and overflowing with tears. His mouth was partially open, a further show of defeat. He had been broken, and with great success.

********

It was all over. Morning had arrived in Tokyo, and in Shinjuku. The blue sky was bright, closer to a pure white than the usual azure. The buildings shone brightly as well.

Even though it was daybreak, yakuza still roamed the streets. They were drastically fewer in number, though, and none were fighting. Those still standing limped away in opposite directions. Some by themselves, dragging their weapons along the ground. Others with fellow members carried on their backs, their fates unknown from a simple glance. Blood splatters were present on the roads and the buildings, the metal curtains catching the majority of the flying red. These remnants, in the minutes and seconds prior to the quarantine’s end, were all that could be said of the battle from a civilian’s point of view.

The last of the yakuza limping away to the south turned the corner at the cinderblock-paved intersection. As he did, the sun shone in from the east, hitting the left side of the red vertical “I.❤.歌舞伎町 KABUKI-CHO” sign running down the front of the neighborhood’s Hayashi Building. It was at that moment that the patrons and passersby trapped in the adjacent buildings overnight exited out onto the empty streets of Shinjuku. The quarantine order for that Saturday night had been officially lifted.

“Whoo, am _I_ beat!” Shirei exclaimed as she stepped out the exposed front door of NO BEEF NO LIFE 2nd, the other girls following behind her onto the narrow street filled with people leaving in any which way.

“You can say _that_ again.” Chikuru put her hand over her mouth and yawned.

“Hmm. But it was fun, right?” Akari said.

“Yeah! Even better that our food was on the house!” Utsugi stuck her tongue out and smiled wide, letting out a small two-syllable laugh under her breath.

Yukisa brought up the rear as their quintet exited. While the rest continued on, she stopped, turning to face the still-open door.

“Well, that settles it. Our condition has been met.” She put one hand on her hip. “Once we’re rested up, I’ll send you our addresses. If you’re _still_ convinced we have Yokoshima, let us know you’re coming over, okay?”

Standing in the doorway facing the five girls was Naokuu, who appeared more tired than the five of them combined. The bags under his eyes were dark, the slow blink he gave them further emphasizing how _done_ he was with the entire outing, in spite of its being over already.

“Yeah…” he replied.

“Good!”

With that, Yukisa walked off without a single word further, leaving Naokuu as the only patron left in the restaurant. As her footsteps grew fainter, joining the outside commotion, he closed his eyes and grunted under his breath, turning around.

“Hey, old man.”

The restaurant manager stood in the small and narrow restaurant lobby, leaning against the reception desk with his eyes closed and his arms crossed. As Naokuu called out to him, he opened his eyes and looked at him, grunting softly.

Naokuu raised his hand and pointed behind his back with his thumb, saying what he wanted to say.

“You mind showin’ me where that smoking section is?”

********

Just across the street from NO BEEF NO LIFE 2nd was a building that spanned half a block, about the same height as those across the street. The three-story building’s main façade was white on the first floor, the second and third coated in reflective chrome with empty windows running across both levels. At the top of the building’s roof were several Roman channel letters, with slightly smaller yet thinner katakana resting atop those. The characters were colored red, blue, green and yellow, the former two holding two different shades each, with no discernable pattern visible. Spelled out, they read out:

ロバストレストラン

ROBUST ★ RESTAURANT

The wind shifted, and they appeared on the sign, behind the “ト” and atop the second R. The three kunoichi. Nawa stood front and center, with Tazuna to her left and Fuji to her right. On the flat surface of the roof below them was Shin, dropped down at the same time they arrived. The ropes binding him that entire night fell to his feet in a winding pile, released as expertly as they were tightened that previous night. He remained still, almost unmoving, as his captors spoke.

“There. As of this moment, you are free to go,” Nawa announced, her arms crossed. “And as such, _this_ is where we will part ways.”

“It’s too bad,” Fuji sweetly complained, bending forward with her hands behind her back. “I’d have _loved_ to play with you some more~.”

“Hmm,” Tazuna grunted, her right arm hanging free as her left rested on her hip. “The same could be said for _me_ punishing you.”

“You are not to speak a _word_ of what happened last night. In fact, pretend that we never even existed.”

“It would be bad if word of our presence got out.”

“Like, _really_ bad!”

“Though after last night, keeping your trap shut should come easy,” Tazuna said with a laugh.

Shin remained emotionless as the three ninja women spoke down to him, the wind gently blowing his hair to the side just as it did with theirs. He gazed up at them with a glassy-eyed stare, his mouth opened as ever so slightly as it was mere hours ago at the end of his all-night torment.

“We trust that you will obey us to the letter. But if our assessment turns out incorrect, well…” Nawa took her paper fan out of her cleavage and opened it up, the pink sunbeam stripes covering the lower part of the already masked half of her visage. “Next time we meet, we won’t be so _easy_.”

“So don’t go telling on us, cutie~!” Fuji winked at Shin, holding up her index finger.

“Or it’ll be _more_ than just _you_!” Tazuna announced, the most malicious of the three in her warning.

The wind shifted again, and they were gone. No further changes in the atmosphere occurred following their departure, beyond an absence of wind from one “ス” to the other on the sign. All that was left behind the Robust Restaurant sign was Shin, standing and looking up at where the kunoichi once were.

He kept staring at their perching spot for another few seconds, and then lowered his head, looking down at the ground. His mouth was closed now, as if some of the feeling he was drained of was coming back. But even then, he was unmoving for several more seconds. Until…

His frown turned into a scowl. He grunted as he gritted his teeth. His hands clenched into fists.

He knew what he had to do.

********

Naokuu pulled the stick away from his mouth and quietly, smoothly, exhaled the smoke into the tobacco-tinged air around. It took him more than long enough, but he finally got what he wanted most out of the end of the outing, as far as immediacy went. Another cigarette from his new pack. He sat in a small room with an open doorframe, with two padded booths on either side and three tables each, with one chair to each table. Each had the usual restaurant table essentials, but they also had ashtrays. Just outside the entrance was a sign with that same cigarette logo, but without the forbidden sign. It was by itself, and next to it, the words “SMOKING LOUNGE”. As the only one in the room, he savored his smoke for all it was worth.

Out in the hall, lined with white walls contrasting the dark brown of the lounge, ending in a window looking straight at the brick building three feet away, someone walked up the adjacent stairwell and turned the corner, heading for the room. Black hair, slow steps.

Naokuu had his eyes closed and his upper arms resting on top of the booth’s wood-lined leather back, taking a hands-free drag off of his cig. As he did, he could hear those footsteps, opening his eyes at them. He looked up at the door as they came to a stop, and his mouth opened in a subtle awe.

“You…”

Standing in the doorframe, still looking down, was Shin.

“Where the hell have you been!?” Naokuu lifted himself out of his seat as he shot Shin a very vexed look. “Do you have _any_ idea how long I had to wait to know if you were alive or dead!? Having to sit there all night with _those_ girls, with _that_ on my mind, was practically _tortur_ –!”

Naokuu stopped in his tracks. Before he could get the word entirely out, he got a closer look at Shin. What he had been through since he last saw him. His hair was messy. His shirt was bunched up in places. Scuff marks and tear stains were all over his cheeks. And his eyes were almost as weary as his, almost hollow. He had no right to bring up his own strained well-being when Shin had it worse off. And he knew it.

“Anyways,” Naokuu continued, returning to his previous position. “I got the girls’ permission to search their places. Sometime later today, I’ll go and check ‘em out. After _that_ , we can finally put Muchise’s abduction to bed.”

“Don’t bother.”

“Huh?” Naokuu blinked in surprise at Shin’s comment. That surprise grew into disbelief as he slowly turned to Shin, the lit end of his cigarette going out as it almost dropped out of his mouth. “What are you…”

“The girls. They don’t have Muchise.”

Naokuu’s eyebrows raised, and his cig finally fell.

“In fact…”

For the first time since he left the roof across the street, Shin looked up. He stared straight forward, his glassy gaze now a thousand-yard stare.

“I know who _does_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. The Hayashi Building is a 7-story building in Kabukicho with two basement floors. It is best known for housing the late-night performance venue Loft Plus One.  
> 2\. “Robust Restaurant” is a reference to the real-life Robot Restaurant in Kabukicho. It’s less an actual restaurant and more a “kitschy, high-energy dinner theater” complete with laser shows, dancers, and the titular robots. Basically, it’s a place meant to show how delightfully strange Japan is. The design of the building’s rooftop sign was altered for aesthetic purposes.


End file.
